Farmington West Provident Living

That seems to be the eternal question when all the kids go back to school. If your kids are anything like mine they always want something more than just a PB and J sandwich. So for those of you that need alternate ideas here are some that have been very successful with my kids and others. Most of the ideas are easy and make ahead (night before), because if your mornings are anything like mine you generally don't have a ton of time to make lunches in the morning. Bonus; the majority of the ideas will work great for adult at work lunches too.     ROLL-UPS- There are a variety of roll-ups you can do, it will all depend on what your kids like and will eat. The basics of all roll ups are: the "bread" typically a tortilla, naan, or pita bread. The sauce-hummus, cream cheese spread(flavored or plain), marinara, pesto, etc. Finally the insides. Some fan favorites are:       Veggie delights - take a "bread" of any variety, add cream cheese spread-garden veggie is...

School is quite the hot button topic right now, but regardless of feelings all our kids will be returning to school in one capacity or another and we need to make sure they are prepared. Why exactly do you need a school emergency kit? Essentially it is a way for your kid to have some useful and comforting things with them should an emergency arise while they are at school and it takes a while before you can get to them.      Here are a couple of questions you should consider before buying the stuff and packing it up all nice and neat. 1. Where is your kid going to keep it at school? They will need easy access to it, so try to keep it small-no bigger than a pencil bag or box. They should be able to keep it either in their desk cubby, locker, or backpack. 2. What items are allowed at school? Make sure you know the school's policy on certain items before packing them. Even some seemingly harmless items might be banned.    With all of this in mind here are some goo...

We all spend a lot of time in our cars, maybe not as much as we used to, but still we spend enough time that we really need to make sure we are prepared for whatever may come our way or even someone else's way. I basically have a car 72 hr. kit in my vehicle and it gets used quite often, just not ever for me. The things I use in it most often are the gloves, shovel, axe and portable jump starter. It's amazing how many people get stuck in the winter or have dead batteries. I think the most embarrassing moment was when I was helping a man out with a dead battery and I went to get my big portable jump starter (similar to this one , before I had my handy little one) and it's battery was too dead to jump start his truck. So lesson learned. Just because you have it, it does no good if you don't maintain it and make sure it is good to go when you need it.    You can find several pre-assembled car kits out there that will work in a pinch and are a great starting point, b...

Do you ever find yourself in a rut when it comes to meals?  Are you always trying to figure out what to make with potatoes, pasta, or rice for dinner or even oatmeal for breakfast? Well switch it up.  Most grains out there are interchangeable with others and will add a little extra flair and flavor to your meals instead of all the "boring usuals".  In this post we will be covering grains and all their magnificent uses and health benefits.    Most grains, but especially whole grains, have oil in them that will eventually make the grains go rancid. This makes them tricky to store unless you know how. Moisture, air, and heat are the enemies of whole grains.   This chart gives you an idea of how long you can store them in the pantry, fridge or freezer.  These are good to know if you are only buying small amounts and won't use it real quick.  Just make sure that it has a good seal on it so no moisture will get in. If you buy them in bulk the best way ...

With all the cacophony in the world today on so many different fronts it's always nice to know that there is someone who is listening and really understands what it's all about and is there to give words of encouragement.  If you are looking to find some, the best thing to do is follow President Nelson.  He always has words of wisdom and understanding and definitely encouragement.  Whenever it feels like I am being surrounded by more than I can take, President Nelson always has a message to share that hits home.  His latest post is definitely that.  I especially like this quote:    The road has definitely been bumpy and we still have more miles to go and hard decisions to make but I know that with the Lord at our side we will all be able to make the best choices for our family and support others in the choices that they will also have to make.

Eggs are one of those things that we use almost every day (unless you have egg allergies but no worries we've got you covered at the end of this post.) I'm sure we have all had that experience where we are making something whether it be cookies, cake, or brownies and suddenly find we don't have enough eggs.  Then we are forced to go to the store or borrow from a neighbor.  Wouldn't it be nice if you never really had to worry about running out of eggs?!! Aside from getting chickens, which some of us have, the other alternative is to get them in powdered form, either dehydrated or freeze dried.     There are a few versions of powdered eggs: whole eggs, egg whites, and scrambled eggs, so make sure you pay special attention to what you are actually buying.  Scrambled eggs are just that, eggs that have been scrambled sometimes by themselves and other times with things added in and then they are dehydrated or freeze dried. These are not the type of eggs you want ...

Powdered milk has come a long way since we were kids.  Anyone who has ever tasted it and thought " I will never drink that no matter what!!", it might be time to revisit your stance on that.  There have been improvements to the process of creating powdered milk that have vastly improved the taste. Below are some quick facts about powdered milk and the difference between regular and instant.  If you would like a more comprehensive overview we put together this info sheet on powdered milk.      QUICK FACTS:        There is a big difference between Regular Nonfat Dry Milk and Instant Nonfat Dry Milk            Regular can be turned into a variety of milk products: cheese, yogurt, butter, evaporated, etc.       Instant is best used for drinkable applications: milk, hot cocoa, etc.      There are almost twice as many servings in Regular Nonfat Dry Milk as in Instant.   ...

It's summer time and what says "summer" more than camping and sitting around the campfire.  I have so many memories of sitting around the campfire with my family and telling stories, jokes, singing, and most of all just having good conversation.  The conversations are what I treasure most.  Lately I have been reading and listening to talks instead of other things, because lets face it, most of what is out there right now doesn't really bring me peace or happiness.  This week I saw a video based on a talk by Elder Gong from the October 2018 conference, titled "Campfires of Faith" , I also read some articles ( here , here and here ) and all of them had one central theme-faith through the hard times.   In the video, he talks about painting with Elder Richard G. Scott and a specific painting titled Campfire at Sunset that Elder Scott had painted.  It's beautiful and evokes a lot of emotion and thought.       Elder Gong said, " As we paint...